"Laws need to be developed to protect personal data"

The challenge of protecting personal data in the age of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a data-driven technology. As such, the rapid development of AI in recent times has raised a number of questions about the transparency of the data used to train AI.

Sharing at the discussion held by the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS) on the morning of June 15, Mr. Tran Huu Nhan, Data and Machine Learning Engineer (One Mount Group) said that as data plays an increasingly important role in the digital economy, collecting information to serve this process is understandable.

“However, what data are companies and platforms collecting? Whose data? How much is enough? What is the collected data used for? These are questions we need to consider,” Mr. Nhan raised.

According to engineer Tran Huu Nhan, unlike tangible assets such as houses and vehicles, no one has documents to prove their ownership of personal data such as images, location information, etc. Therefore, many businesses have been using tools such as websites, software, and mobile phones to collect users' personal data without their knowledge.

Engineer Tran Huu Nhan believes that in the story of protecting personal data, there are two vulnerable groups that need special attention: children and the elderly. These are groups that are not necessarily aware of the need to protect their private data on the internet.

This expert also believes that instead of just approaching from the perspective of setting new standards for businesses, management agencies need to have educational measures to raise awareness among people who use digital technology. This will help people understand what artificial intelligence is and how it affects their lives.

Mr. Nhan also suggested that a subject should soon be introduced into schools to help children access digital skills such as using smartphones properly, understanding and knowing how to protect their own data online.

Is it time for Vietnam to have a Personal Data Protection Law?

According to Ms. Nguyen Lan Phuong, Policy Analyst of "Need to build laws to protect personal data", the application of artificial intelligence in processing personal data will create some challenges for policy makers. That is how to take advantage of the strengths of data and AI to develop the economy while still ensuring privacy and personal freedom.

The US and Europe have established organizations by both the state and the private sector to set regulations to control the operation of AI and the collection and use of data. In Vietnam, in April, the Government also issued Decree 13/2023 on the protection of personal data.

In which, personal data is understood as information in the form of symbols, letters, numbers, images, sounds or similar forms in the electronic environment associated with a specific person or helping to identify a specific person.

Personal data includes basic personal data and sensitive personal data. Basic personal data includes full name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, nationality, personal photo, phone number, ID number, account number, personal identification number, license plate number, tax code,...

Decree 13/2023 on personal data protection is the first legal document in Vietnam to officially use the concept of personal data, regulating the obligation to protect personal data for entities engaged in data collection and processing activities.

Ms. Nguyen Lan Phuong assessed that the newly issued regulations have met the challenges posed by complex technologies such as artificial intelligence. Enterprises need to comply with the regulations of the management agency and actively apply new technology standards to protect user data.

However, according to experts from the IPS Research Institute, after Decree 13/2023 on personal data protection officially takes effect in July this year, Vietnam still needs to develop a Law on Personal Data Protection in the near future.

According to Vietnamnet